i want to get a pond in the springtime next year

[stevefromga2000]

i currently have both a saltwater and a freshwater tank set up, but i have been thinking a lot about getting a pond in the spring time coming up. i have a few questions before i make up my mind about it though.

what is mandatory for a new pond? what kind of equipment?

i live in northern japan, and it is winter here more than it is not, would i be able to just get some heaters like what go in aquariums so that i could be involved with my pond year round?

is it pretty similiar to keeping an aquarium?

these are just a few of my questions, hopefully somebody can help. i have just browsed around a little for shopping online, and i have found some "kits" for sale, but it didn't look like everything that was needed was there in the kit. thanks ahead of time for the help.

 

[Vmax911]

How big of pond are you looking at? I think the bare minimum would be a pond (obviously, either a preform or liner) and a filter. The filter could be as simple submersed type with a small pump.

I'm not sure what the climate is where you're at, but most pond heaters are to keep the surface from freezing solid, not to really warm the water. Goldfish hibernate in the winter, so they don't require warm water (just not totally frozen water). They will need a hole in the ice for gas exchange (this can be the previously mentioned heater, or a fountian or waterfall). However your plants will go dormant.

Also the size and fishload of the pond will require if it is like an aquarium or not. My aquarium takes a lot more maintenance than my pond!

What are the average temps for winter and summer there?

 

[stevefromga2000]

the summer time only gets up to a little over 80 deg and that's only for a few days. in the winter, it stays pretty constant below freezing. i was thinking about the heater for the entire pond so that i could actually look at my fish when it's winter time. i know the gold fish hibernate in the winter, but if the water was warm, would they be okay to not hibernate? and i know that i don't want a pre-formed liner, i want to get one of my own to build it. i was thinking anywhere from 300 to 500 gallons overall. but i'm new at this, so that is just the goal for now. about the bio load, i want fish only, not plants in the pond.

 

[Vmax911]

Having only fish will require you to do pwc to keep nitrates down, just as in an aquarium.

The only heaters specifically for ponds are de-icers. Your talking 1000+ watts just to keep a small area of the pond from freezing over. I don't think you be able to keep a pond at 60 degrees while the weater outside is below freezing, unless you are talking about external heaters and recirculation system, but then your talking $1000's of dollars.

Your best bet would probably be an indoor pond, or maybe some type of greenhouse covering the pond (is it sunny in the winter?)

 

[stevefromga2000]

i don't mind doing the pwc for the nitrates. how often would i need to do them? probably depends on the amount of nitrates right?

the sun shines all year around here, but it does get cold. the thing is, it snows, then the snow melts a little bit, then it gets cold again and freezes the top part of the snow, then it snows again, melts the snow, and then freezes again, etc. by the spring time, there are multiple layers of snow and ice, alternating.

what if i got a water fall and kept it running all year, and then i also got one of those de-icers? would that keep the water overall from freezing over?

also, what about getting an aeration kit either along with something else or alone by itself?